Oneshots: With Arms Wide Open a Companion Book
by Tif S
Summary: Companion pieces to my full length SYOC Story With Arms Wide Open exploring characters both before and during the events of With Arms Wide Open. Deleted scenes, backstory, and what if scenarios can be included/requested. Both canon characters from the show and all members of each family in this verse are fair game. Includes OCs, other character tags will change with each entry.
_**A/N: Well, I finally got this up and going With Arms Wide Open fans! Summer break has started so my time is mine again for a while at least. This first oneshot was inspired by the episode "The Show" and R &J and focuses very heavily on all of the Tan kids, Liam, Shane, Lucian, Riley, Brianna and Amber, with a heavy focus on the foster kids, along with Matiana toward the end. It is in third person. The timeline isn't very specific, it could really take place at any point, relatively early in all of the foster kids' living with Mariana, Mat, Amber and Brianna, at whatever point you imagine Mat and Mariana's anniversary to be. Hope you enjoy. **_

* * *

__**Anniversary (Tan Family)**

The calendar hung unsuspectingly in the kitchen hallway, so when each member of the Tan family passed by, they could see the date, what was planned for the week, and if anything special would be going on. The Tans' youngest foster daughter was puzzled by the behavior of her two older sisters that week. She'd only been with them for a few months, but Riley could tell they were being strange. Talk would suddenly stop when one of their parents walked into the room, and start up again when they left. So, the four foster kids had formed an agreement at the beginning of the next week.

"We have to figure out what's going on." Riley poked her older brother in the shoulder.

Lucian sighed. "It's probably a family thing. Why are you so worried?"

Riley glared. Couldn't he see that was _exactly_ why. "Come on Lucian, please!"

"Fine." Lucian gave a small smile. "What's the plan?"

* * *

"You really think something's wrong?" Liam sat up, setting aside his English homework as he looked across to his brother and foster sister. Come to think of it, he had noticed something strange, something Amber's father had said when he had seen Liam with the assignment at the table that afternoon when Mat's friend, and Brandon's wife Lou had come over to help him with something work related.

" _What do you think of it?" Mat gave Liam a look as he pointed to the Shakespeare book._

" _It's alright I guess. But I don't get it. Why'd they have to go to all that trouble? Couldn't they just tell someone?"_

 _Lou scoffed covering laughter with a hand._

" _I've heard that before." Mat had a funny smile on his face. "You should ask Mariana. She's kind of an expert."_

It hadn't seemed important. He'd brushed it off as a weird adult comment. Until he'd passed by Amber's room and had seen her skyping her uncle with the keyboard on her lap.

"Amber was saying something about an extra project." He looked at Riley. "But she wouldn't tell me anything, neither did Bri, come to think of it. She said it had something to do with Timothy's assignment."

"What's Saturday?" The question came from Shane. At the puzzled looks of his brother and foster sister he sighed. "For god's sake, you really are morons." He stood. "The calendar. There were _hearts_ drawn on the calendar!"

* * *

Lucian found Brianna in the yard, earphones in her ears, as she was rehearsing some routine, at least it looked to be a new routine. Her arms were up as if dancing with an invisible partner, and her mouth silently mouthing lyrics.

"Hey," Lucian ducked aside as she swirled past. "HEY!"

Brianna stopped, catching herself as she removed one earbud, Lucian could hear the beat of the song echoing tinnily. "Luc, what's up?" She looked puzzled. Lucian didn't blame her. It was only because of Riley that he was starting this conversation at all.

"I should be asking you that. Are you guys...okay, you and Am?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Brianna frowned.

"Riley… she thinks something's wrong between you and your parents." Lucian scoffed realizing how utterly _stupid_ his sister's concerns sounded, though being foster kids, they weren't entirely unfounded. He knew a ton of kids who had lost really good homes because of bio family problems.

Brianna nodded as her face changed. "Oh...oh my god. No! No, nothing's wrong." She shook her head quickly. "Nothing's wrong. Amber and I… we, we're trying to plan for our parents' anniversary."

"Anniversary?" Lucian smiled. "Cool. As long as nothing's wrong."

"Actually…" Brianna bit her lip. "There is something. I'm trying to learn this routine, this number actually." She pointed to where Lucian now noticed a laptop in the grass showing a Youtube clip. It looked to be some sort of song from a musical, it looked like her parents. Well, younger. "And well, it's a partner dance, a duet. I'd ask one of the guys at Mom's studio, but well it's a surprise for her and…"

Oh god, Lucian knew where this was going. "No, no way!"

"Come on, please. I'd do it with Brandon, but… he's already the distraction for the _whole afternoon_ while we set up. They consider you family too."

"Can't you ask Lucas or something?"

Brianna shook her head. "Tried, failed."

"Danny?"

"Nope." She grinned. "This is strictly a Tan family thing."

"Seriously?" He groaned. "Fine."

"Yay!" She then proceeded to place his arms. "Don't worry, there's only two lifts."

"Lifts?" Well, fuck.

* * *

"Remind me again how you convinced us to leave the kids with Lou, and why are we going to Moms'?" Mat looked at Brandon with raised eyebrows as they pulled up to Stef and Lena's.

"Because, it's your anniversary and Moms' wanted to do something for you." Brandon said. He parked. "This way." Brandon got out of the car and led them to the garage.

"B, what's going on?" Mariana crossed her arms.

Brandon shook his head. "Wait and see."

They walked into the garage and saw Amber sitting in front of the keyboard. There were chairs set up. Mariana saw her moms sitting in two of them as five more were set up to their left. They saw Riley, Shane and Liam.

"Mariana, Mat, over here." Stef waved.

"You guys know anything about this?" Mariana sat down as she looked at the other kids. They exchanged looks that made her very nervous.

"I think you'll like it." Riley said.

"Trust us." Shane smiled.

The music began, transporting Mat and Mariana immediately back.

"Well this explains a lot." Mat grinned as he grabbed Mariana's hand. The fact that their daughters had put this together, it blew them away. Mariana watched as Amber played the music that Brandon and Mat had composed so long ago. It had to have taken her weeks to learn each piece, then again… Brandon had been teaching Amber since she was nine. She was bound to ask him about his own stuff one day. The fact that Brianna had looped their newest foster son into playing partner for the "Forever" routine was something that made both parents laugh, even as they recalled their own hesitancy as teenagers to even play opposite each other, despite it being both Mat and Brandon's senior project. It was R&J that had brought them back together, and so it was as fitting a gift from their family as ever.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, I hope you liked it. I should have the next chapter of the full length story up soon! Send in any requests for the oneshot collection. Until next time.**_


End file.
